Girls struck by lightning are back home: 'It's a miracle'

EVANSTON, Wyo. (KUTV) To see BraiLynn, 8, Peyton, 7, and Zoey, 3, playing and eating donuts in the backyard of their Evanston, Wyoming home you would never know the three had been struck by lightening just 7 days prior.

It was Aug. 4, and the girls, along with their father Kyle, mother Janika, and little brother Vayden, 16 montd, were fishing at Lily Lake in Summit County.

Kyle Thompson says they sky was clear, and blue, then a small cloud moved in, and quickly dumped rain and hail on them, he rushed his girls into the trees to seek cover because the car was several hundred yards away.

"We started making preparations to get back in the trees," Thompson said.

"I seen it all out of the corner of my eye, just that big flash and that loud boom," Janika Thompson said. "I knew something bad was going on," Kyle said, who didn't see the strike but could sense it, "I could feel it just the energy hit," Kyle adds.

Kyle, who has CPR training through his job, attempted to revive the girls. He started with his 7-year-old, who appeared to be in the worst shape,.

"Her clothes were smoking, she has has these giant holes all through her shirt they were kind of smoldering," Kyle said. She was revived quickly, but her sister BraiLynn took longer. Eventually Zoey was taken to an Evanston hospital with minor injuries, the 2 older girls were flown my medical helicopter to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Now the children are all at home, and even though BraiLynn has some concussion like symptoms and all have some minor muscle damage, the girls are doing remarkably well.